


In a Car Full of Cockroaches (Secrets We Buy That Used to Be Free)

by ohmygoshwhatascream



Category: Astral Chain (Video Game)
Genre: (as always), Angst, Arguments, Brother/Sister Relationships, Coming Out, Family Dynamics, Family Relationships - Freeform, Gen, Player Character is called Azure, Post-Game, spoiler-heavy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:39:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22255045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmygoshwhatascream/pseuds/ohmygoshwhatascream
Summary: Akira finds her mind wandering to what has happened, and where things will go to next.They had changed, and they were both so different now, but maybe; just maybe, things would be alright.
Relationships: Akira Howard & Player Character, Hal/Player Character (Astral Chain) - Mentioned
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	In a Car Full of Cockroaches (Secrets We Buy That Used to Be Free)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starchitect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchitect/gifts).



> For Telethiastar who I love very much. Happy Birthday!!!!! And Merry Christmas!!! Take this as a two-in-one gift, since I've been so goddamn behind with your gifts. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope this is okay. I'm a twin myself (identical, gotta flex that weird science thing) so I took some inspiration from me and my sibling's relationship, although we're not nearly as supportive of each other as Azure and Akira. I've pretty much never written a sibling dynamic before, so hopefully it's worked out okay. :))))

There is a shift of movement, a deep sigh, an inhale whistling through clenched teeth.

Akira glances over, eyes flickering over the weary profile of her brother. She takes in purpled eyes, bitten lips. He blinks, slowly. Shakes his head, then sighs again.

"Can you shut up?" She hisses, rotating her ankles round in circles until she feels them crack. Everything is sore, everything is stiff. This car, one that she swears had been lifted straight from a dump, reeks of stale cigarettes and old feet. There are cobwebs on the wing mirrors and she doesn't even want to check what's hiding in the back. She's certain she saw a cockroach crawling on the dirty windows.

It's  _ awful.  _ Everything about this situation is awful. She can't stretch out enough, she feels like she's been locked in a box, like an animal in a cage. She just wants to go  _ home,  _ curl up on the sofa with a mug of coffee and put on a movie she won't really watch and go to sleep. But instead, she's here. Watching out for some moderately dangerous criminal who probably won't even make a show tonight, knowing her awful luck.

Stakeouts are notoriously shit, and this one is no different.

It's a lot of sitting around, doing nothing. Waiting. Just waiting for something to happen. You can't even slack off, or try and get some extra hours of sleep (ever since that whole shit-fest with Yospeh, the city has been falling apart at the seams. Sure, there are fewer Chimeras about, but crime rates have risen and there never seems to be a moment of rest) because if you bet your ass that those few minutes of sleep will be the exact few minutes where your criminal appears. And then that means you've just wasted two hours of your life sitting in a shitty old car to miss the only exciting thing about the whole damn case you've been sent on.

Basically, stakeouts are garbage and although Akira is glad that the Chimera problem has mostly sorted itself out, she can't help but wish that  _ something  _ would just fucking happen already.

Azure exhales again, loudly.

"Shut it! I _ swear to- _ I'm just as fed up as you, you know! It's  _ your _ fault we're even on this shit case anyway! If  _ you _ hadn't pissed off Olive-"

"Hey! She asked my opinion on her dress, and I told her it was ugly! It totally clashed with her hair. It's not  _ my _ fault she didn't like what I had to say!"

"That's not the point Azure and you know it. You can't just… straight up say someone's dress is ugly. Like,  _ please _ just be tactful, for once in your life."

Azure responds with another sigh.

"Oh! For fucks sake- Azure!  _ Stop it! _ Just-"

"Oh, sorry. Didn't realise breathing was against the law. Guess I'll just, uh, die then."

"Oh piss off. You know what you're doing. Just- shut up,  _ please.  _ I'm tired and you're tired and this whole situation is shit and I really can't be bothered to deal with you right now." Akira grinds out, voice raising.

Part of her wants to do nothing more than wring her little brother's ( _ little _ brother! He should be treating her with far more respect, the little shit!) neck out to dry, because he's a prick and it's what he deserves. But another part of her is kind of glad they can still do  _ this. _

Only-children don't get it. It's a sibling thing, maybe more-so a twin thing. Like, they've been together their whole lives. They grew up at each other's throats, with their old man at wits end with what to do with them. Anything and everything, they'd argue over. Who gets the biggest room in the new house, who gets to sit in the front seat of the car. If 7 minutes is a large enough time difference for Akira to always get first dibs. (She's the oldest! That's how it's supposed to work!)

They'd grown up on petty arguments. When they'd trained for the force, same class, same graduate year, they'd riled one another up endlessly. Competition ran in their blood and there was no way Akira was gonna be outshined by her younger brother.

They'd fought their way to the top of their class, passed with flying colours. And then, when they'd made it to the force, they'd smiled at each other. They'd laughed, and hugged. Congratulated one another and meant every single word of praise. She'd never been more proud of him, seeing him receive his badge. He'd never been more proud of her.

And that evening, they'd had a shouting match over where they would eat that night. And that was how it was, how it would be.

But then it had changed.

They had been given their own Legions, been out on the field fighting Chimeras, and then their dad had died. Max, gone. Just like that. In the blink of an eye, the man who had raised them was taken from them. For nothing.

There had been no time to grieve. No time to rest. There were more Chimeras, more corruption. The city was coming apart at the seams and it was their job to tie it all back together. Days had merged into one and Akira had thrown herself at her work like a lifeline, her little boat at sea. Yoseph had snuck in, calm smiles and cool grey eyes. She had bought it, believed the poison that had spewed from his lips and denied her brother the comfort they both needed.

She had shouted at him that day after the Hermit scandal; those fateful days after they had broken into Zone 09. Not a fun argument. Not one over restaurants or which icecream flavour is the best (it's coffee flavour, and she still won't take criticism on that) but this had been true anger. It had boiled over into hurtful words, spiteful words. Words that they both said with the intent to hurt, the intent to scar.

And then, only a few days later, Azure had disappeared. Dead, Yoseph had told her, a cold hand on her shoulder. Dead, he had said, grey eyes unfeeling.  _ Dead. But don't worry, we're your family now. _

Everything after that is a blur. Akira still isn't sure what happened. She remembers her own reflection, hundreds of them, staring back at her. Eyes just like her own, just like Azure's, yet cold like Yospeh's.

She didn't think things would ever go back to the way they once were. But they had.

_ Almost _ .

"Hey… Akira?" Azure eventually says, voice uncertain. She nods, eyes flickering over to him in silent reply.

He doesn't speak for a moment, and she waits. She knows him so well, even if they had grown apart during this past year. She  _ knows  _ him. He just needs time to collect his thoughts, string his words together. But she can feel the tension in him pulled tight like that of a bow. She can't stop the twisting of her heart when she realises that, this time last year, he would have told her everything without a fear in the world.

Things have changed now, though. They do not trust each other the way they once had.

(But maybe, if they keep on trying, they can rebuild that trust. Wash away the last of Yospeh's lies and heal. Together, this time. Not alone. Not like after dad died)

"I think I might be gay." 

She turns to face him, reaching over to rest a hand on his shoulder. She hopes it's a comfort and she can't stop the smile that spreads across her cheeks as she feels Azure relax, some of his tightly wound tension draining from his body.

"Hal?" She asks.

"Hal." He confirms, cheeks flushed red.

The silence returns and Akira realises just how thankful she is for a brother like Azure. Maybe things weren't exactly the same, maybe they never would be, but what they have here; now, that is more than good enough.

Azure sighs, long and deep, breaking the companionable quiet.

"Shut up!" Akira hisses, words spilling out without thought.

Azure snorts, teeth flashing bright in the gloom.

Life hasn't turned out quite how she envisioned it, but Akira knows one thing for certain. She wouldn't change a goddamn thing.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't touched the game pretty much since I finished it, four days after it's UK release, so therefore my memory is pretty hazy. I think it was Zone 09, right? Huh, I need to play it again.


End file.
